Even a fortune forged in railroads and steel can't buy
entrance into the upper echelons of Victorian high society--for that you need a
marriage of convenience.
American heiress August Crenshaw has aspirations. But
unlike her peers, it isn't some stuffy British Lord she wants wrapped around
her finger--it's Crenshaw Iron Works, the family business. When it's clear that
August's outrageously progressive ways render her unsuitable for a respectable
match, her parents offer up her younger sister to the highest entitled bidder
instead. This simply will not do. August refuses to leave her sister to the
mercy of a loveless marriage.
Evan Sterling, the Duke of Rothschild, has no intention
of walking away from the marriage. He's recently inherited the title only to
find his coffers empty, and with countless lives depending on him, he can't
walk away from the fortune a Crenshaw heiress would bring him. But after
meeting her fiery sister, he realizes Violet isn't the heiress he wants. He
wants August, and he always gets what he wants.
But August won't go peacefully to her fate. She decides
to show Rothschild that she's no typical London wallflower. Little does she
realize that every stunt she pulls to make him call off the wedding only makes
him like her even more.
Excellent book. As the book opens, August and Violet
watch, horrified, as their best friend Camille is married off to an older
British nobleman, her parents exchanging American dollars for a title for their
daughter. Surely their parents wouldn't be so heartless?
Several months later, the Crenshaw family is in London,
where Mr. Crenshaw plans to expand his railroad and ironworks businesses.
August is well aware of the plans as she has been deeply involved in the
business for many years, something very unusual for women of their class.
August has made it clear that she is not interested in marriage, only in
continuing to work for the business. August is brilliant, beautiful, and a
supporter of all things progressive. Her outspokenness and bluestocking ways
cause her to be unappealing to the aristocrats looking for brides, which is
fine with her. That is until she discovers her parents' plans to marry Violet
off to an impoverished Duke.
I will say right here and now that I detested Mr. and
Mrs. Crenshaw. She is an out-and-out social climber who doesn't care whether
her daughters are happy or not, as long as she can lord it over the "old
money" people like Mrs. Astor back in New York. Her actions and attitudes
throughout the book were appalling. Yes, I know it was typical of the period,
but it was still terrible. Meanwhile, Mr. Crenshaw seems happy to have August
working with him, her brilliant mind helping to earn more money for the
company. I approved of how he involved her in the discussions about expanding
to India. But when push came to shove, he was ready to pat the little woman on
the head and shove her out the door to be a wife and mother. He was also a
coward, leaving it to his wife to break the news of the death of August's
dreams.
Evan, Duke of Rothschild, is trapped. He recently
inherited the dukedom from his father, only to discover that he has crumbling
estates, many bills, and nothing to pay them with. Though he attempts to keep
them afloat by bare-knuckle fighting and gambling winnings, it's soon evident
that it isn't enough. The only thing he can do is find a wealthy heiress to
marry. He hates the idea of marrying one of the dim-witted debutantes, but he
doesn't see any choice. But when his mother recommends Violet Crenshaw, Evan
quickly realizes that he's much more interested in Violet's sister August.
I loved the first meeting between August and Evan. August,
who is somewhere she should not be, encounters Evan in his "The
Hellion" guise, an undefeated bare-knuckle fighter. She is horrified and
intrigued by what she witnesses and grateful to him when Evan saves her from a
nasty fall. He goads her into giving him a kiss that overwhelms them both.
August never expects to see him again and is stunned to later recognize him as
the man her parents want Violet to marry. A confrontation and another kiss
later, and Evan knows that the only woman for him is August. Accustomed to
getting what he wants, he doesn't expect any trouble. Meanwhile, August plans
to spend time at the ball he's supposed to attend, convincing him to stay away
from Violet. I enjoyed that scene as she earnestly steers him away from Violet
while he's busy staking his claim on her. She's furious when she learns the
truth.
This began a thoroughly enjoyable story of their courtship.
August makes it plain that she doesn't want to marry him or anyone else. She
likes her life the way it is and has no intention of giving up her freedom to
live under any man's thumb. I loved that Evan is quite sympathetic to her plight
and more than willing to meet her halfway. A visit to his main estate gives
them a chance to get to know each other better and the attraction between them to
grow along with it. There are some heartwarming moments between them as they
share events that profoundly affected their lives. They make great strides
toward a healthy relationship when left to themselves, but outside interference
throws everything into turmoil.
Just when everything looks promising for their future
together, an unexpected twist changes everything for Evan. His honor and love
for August won't allow him to see her forced to marry him. I ached for him
because all he wants is for her to want him for himself. Unfortunately, August
only sees that she's no longer needed. Rather than talk things out, neither of
them is willing to risk putting their feelings out there for fear of being
rejected. It doesn't help that when August realizes the truth of her feelings
and tries to do something about it, she misinterprets something she sees and
runs. The scene at the end as Violet confronts Evan is fantastic, especially
when she decides to help him. While Evan could have done a little more groveling
once he caught up with August, he wasn't the only one who was in the wrong. August
should have done a little of her own.
I liked the foreshadowing of the events of the next book.
Evan's friend, the Earl of Leigh, has set his sights on Violet while she wants
nothing to do with him. The sparks bode well for another fun story.
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